Are you getting the best possible sound and video from your home theater system? Unless you had all of the components professionally installed, the answer is probably no. However, you can improve your home theater experience without the expense of hiring an expert to install your equipment if you know the tricks. Take a look at a few simple things that you can do that will help you get the best possible viewing and listening experience from your home theater system.
Screen Position
If you're not getting the optimum picture from your television, it may not be the settings on the TV that you have to adjust. Instead, you may need to adjust where you're sitting. The distance between the television and the couch or chair that you're sitting on while you watch can make a bigger difference than you think.
There are several different ways to calculate the optimum distance between your seat and the television screen. They all involve taking the diagonal measure of the screen and multiplying it by a different number – the result is how many inches away you should be from the television screen. The most common recommendation from manufacturers, retailers, and other experts is to multiply the diagonal measurement of the television screen by 2.5. On the other hand, the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) recommendation is to multiply the diagonal measurement by 1.6. One more recommendation comes from THX, and that one advises you to multiply the diagonal measurement by 1.2.
If you have the space in the room where your home theater system is located, you may want to try each of the different recommendations for a day and see which one results in the best view. If rearranging your living room several times sounds like too much work, you could simply choose the recommendation from the source you trust the most. Any of these three configurations should result in an improved viewing experience.
Speaker Setup
Of course, just getting the best visual isn't enough. Getting great sound out of your home theater system is another important aspect of the home theater experience. And just as with the screen, the placement of your speakers can make a real difference.
Your best bet is to create a triangle where your right and left speakers are two of the points, and the place where you're sitting is the mid-point at the top of the triangle. Your television should be in-between the left and right speaker, and you need to set your speakers high enough off the ground so that they're at roughly the same height as your ears, and angle them so that they're facing toward you. Placing bookcases on either side of your television should give you the space to set smaller speakers at the correct height and position.
You will also need to take the features of the room into account. Bare walls and floors can affect the sound, so choose a carpeted room, if you can. At a minimum, put down some throw rugs and put up some wall hangings – decorative blankets can provide some attractive soundproofing for your walls. Also, check to make sure that you can see each of your speakers from the point in the room where you're sitting. If there's something blocking your view of the speakers, it's likely also blocking the sound coming from the speakers. Clearing the path between you and your speakers can greatly improve the sound.
Rearranging your furniture may be tiring, but it's a free and easy way to ensure that you're getting the best possible audio and video from your home theater system. If you're still not satisfied once your equipment is positioned for maximum effect, then you should consider hiring a professional from a company like A Tech Security to check your installation and adjust your settings.
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